Tokyo: Rabbit Officer and Her Evil Partner

For reporters, first-hand news coverage is their lifeline, and trending topics are a reflection of their abilities. Frontline reporters risk everything to unearth stories worth reporting; what's a little pride compared to that?

So as soon as Minamoto Tamako opened the door, the people at the back tried desperately to push forward, while those at the front knew that randomly entering would count as trespassing, so they braced themselves against the doorframe to resist the push from behind, preventing their peers from getting ahead in the interview...

The entrance was in total chaos; even the apartment manager was alerted, but unfortunately, he couldn't squeeze in. He could only stand outside and shout, prohibiting any noise from outsiders.

However, the reporters ignored him completely, and whether or not Minamoto Tamako answered, they swarmed in regardless.

Minamoto Tamako had no choice and simply let them in, arranging for each to have a seat. Those who couldn't find a seat just sat cross-legged on the floor; as long as they could get inside, it didn't matter.

The home suddenly turned into a press conference site. Minamoto Tamako stood by the coffee table, still wearing her bear pajamas, with her hair sticking out cutely as she tried to calm the crowd, "Please, everyone, quiet down! One at a time! One at a time!"

The reporters paid no heed and began asking questions simultaneously. Their voices melded together, making it impossible to discern what was being asked. Although they were told to proceed one by one, everyone wanted to be the first.

Minamoto Tamako, helpless, tried to persuade, "If you do it this way, no one will be able to conduct an interview! Please calm down; queue up one by one!"

All the reporters raised their hands, clamoring to be first in line because whoever asked a hot question first would own that scoop. Whoever was slow might not even get a drop of soup later.

Minamoto Tamako was contemplating whether to assign numbers to everyone when she saw Taira Sakurako standing in the back corner of the living room, holding up a cardboard sign with a line of words:

"Point and Ask"

Minamoto Tamako suddenly realized and changed her tactics, "From now on, I'll call on someone, and only they can ask a question! Otherwise, you'll all waste time here endlessly!"

The reporters quarreled a bit more, but seeing that Minamoto Tamako had no intention of answering questions, they looked at each other and gradually quieted down, waiting for Minamoto Tamako to call on someone.

Minamoto Tamako was pleased with this result. She looked around the room and picked a seemingly honest female reporter, "You may ask your question first."

The female reporter was short, slightly chubby, with an ordinary appearance and wore thick glasses. Getting the first chance to ask didn't elicit a thankful or excited expression, but instead, she pushed up her glasses and sharply asked, "Do you have any connections in the Police Department? How did you become a criminal police officer?"

Minamoto Tamako was stunned, finding the question rather odd. Of course, she became a criminal police officer through exams and assessments step by step!

She was about to explain when Taira Sakurako at the back raised the board again, with a line of advice still written on it:

"Trap question, don't answer. Just clearly state the assessment criteria of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department."

Minamoto Tamako couldn't see where the trap was in the words, but she trusted Taira Sakurako more; Sakurako wouldn't deliberately harm her, right? So she followed the hint and responded:

"For non-career group of the Police Department, high school graduates can apply, but they must start from patrol, and through internal promotion exams, transfer to criminal police;

"Males must complete 1500 meters in 6 minutes 30 seconds, females must complete 1000 meters in 5 minutes 30 seconds, including obstacle courses that simulate complex crime scene environments like wall-climbing and net-crawling, to meet the practical needs for suspect pursuits;

"Additionally, there's a judo and karate assessment, requiring at least a first-dan level, evaluating offensive and defensive techniques as well as body coordination;

"Criminal police candidates must pass the 'Shooting Qualification Test', proficiently using a revolver to achieve an 80% hit rate at 25 meters…"

"I initially graduated from the Hokkaido Police Academy, and due to staff shortages under the Violence Group Countermeasures Law, I was transferred to Tokyo, served as a patrol police at the Nakagawara Police Station for a year, passed the 'promotion exam', and after college graduates work for a year, they can apply, eventually becoming a criminal police officer."

"That's all."

Minamoto Tamako finished speaking and nodded at the reporter.

The female reporter persisted relentlessly, continuing to ask, "But you still haven't explained whether there's a nepotism problem in the Police Department. From what I know, it takes more than 10 years for non-career group members to be promoted to police sergeant. How did you advance to become a criminal police officer?"

"Currently, I'm not yet a police sergeant, just an active criminal police officer. Rank and position are two different matters." Minamoto Tamako inexplicably felt targeted in some way, but she couldn't figure out where this feeling came from.

The female reporter fired another round of questions, "Is there workplace discrimination within the Police Department? Why is the gender ratio in the Police Department so imbalanced? Why are all active criminal police officers male, with hardly any females? Is it because women are excluded during the Police Department's assessments?"

Minamoto Tamako waved her hands repeatedly, "No, no, everyone's very good, diligent in their work; perhaps it's because women aren't interested in this line of work, so fewer apply…"

Taira Sakurako raised the board again: "Change person, answer sufficient."

Seeing the hint, Minamoto Tamako's eyes brightened; she quickly spoke before the female reporter could ask another question, "Alright, I've already answered many of your questions. To avoid delaying others, I will now call upon the next person."

The female reporter wanted to continue, but the other reporters around turned around and glared at her with a murderous look, quietly warning her not to break the rules. She hesitated for a moment and put her hand down.

Finding the female reporter difficult to deal with, Minamoto Tamako looked around and noticed a male reporter with slicked-back hair, who appeared to be quite professional and seemed unlikely to cause trouble. So she pointed to him to ask a question, "Sir, would you like to ask something?"